


Let's go on a date, Hinata-chan!

by halfpastmonsoon



Series: Oumahina [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Awkward Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-04-22 23:58:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14319921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfpastmonsoon/pseuds/halfpastmonsoon
Summary: Island Mode feat. OumaPart of the 'Ouma in sdr2' AU





	1. Amusement Park

**Author's Note:**

> As per usual, oumahina is my thing. This time I'll actually make it a series! Yay!  
> A note: I combined dialogue options from the location and made them into one date instead of making them all separate cuz that's..........really short honestly

Hinata Hajime was strolling along the beach. It was a peaceful day, and he enjoyed watching the ocean, even if the sensation of his feet seemingly melting into the sand wasn't necessarily a pleasant one. If he had to get stuck on a tropical island, at least he was going to take advantage of that, goddammit.  
Besides, there wasn't much else to do right now. He was done with work for the day, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to hang out with anyone, but he didn't want to go back to the hotel yet. Introverted at heart, he sometimes found his friends entirely too overwhelming, especially in bigger doses.

He paused and his feet dug into the sand even more. He's going to have to clean his socks when he's back, sigh. Having shoes full of sand was really bothersome, but currently he was too occupied with watching the beautiful sunset to care. He enjoyed the colours of the sky quite a lot. The pinks, purples, and oranges blended into each other gorgeously and reflected in the calm water below. Hinata was near-hypnotized by it.

Which is why he didn't notice the danger coming from behind until it was entirely too late.

The only warning he got was-

'Hinata-chaaaaaan!'

And suddenly he felt a weigh on his back that nearly made him fall over, facefirst into the ocean. Luckily, he regained balance just in time. Ouma was holding onto him tightly like some sort of small marsupial. When Hinata looked at him over his shoulder, he grinned brightly.

'Good evening, Hinata-chan! What are you doing here all by yourself like a loser? We should go on a date instead!'

Hinata rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples. 'I wanted to get some peace and quiet away from everyone, you know.'

'Aw, that's booo-ring! You shouldn't isolate yourself from people like that! Or at least not on the beach, considering, you know, people often come here to relax?'

That was a good point, he had to admit. Maybe a part of him wanted to come here to be found by someone instead and he just denied it to himself? Entirely possible. Hinata has been in denial about many things, after all... Regardless of that, though...

'I guess that's true, but I doubt anybody would come here at this hour. It's late, you know? Actually, what are _you_ doing here?'

'I got bored, obviously! I thought I'd go for a walk and I ran into Hinata-chan by total accident!'

Hinata raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing. There was no point in trying to question Ouma, anyway, and his intentions seemed harmless. It most likely wasn't a prank.

'Now c'mon, let's go on a date!'

'No way. Do you know what time it is? We should be going to bed, not walking around.'

'You say that as if you weren't walking around anyway! C'mon, it's gonna be fun!'

'…Fine, but get off my back first.'

Ouma fulfilled that request surprisingly quickly, Unwrapping his arms from around Hinata's waist immediately and jumping into the soft sand. He never wore socks, which made walking around the beach even harder for him than it was for everybody else.

'Doesn't the sand bother you, Ouma?'

The short boy shook his head and smiled up at him in a slightly condescending way.

'You're not really committed to going to the beach if you're not ready to deal with the sand, Hinata-chan! That's quitter talk! Now, you have the tickets, right?'

'Uh, yeah,' Hinata confirmed, digging through his pants pocket, attempting to fish them out. The instant he took them out of his pocket, Ouma grabbed the tickets and ran off, counting them.

'H-hey!' Hinata took off after him.

'Don't worry, Hinata-chan, I'm not going anywhere without you! Nishishi~'

Ouma reached the end of the beach and stopped in front of the bridge to the central island. Hinata dug his feet into the sand to avoid running into him.

'You have quite the collection, Hinata-chan! We can go to sooo many places!'

'Usami's not going to let us go anywhere at this hour anyway.'

'Is that a challenge?' Ouma grinned before calling out: 'Yahooooooo, Usami-chaaaaaan!'

Sure enough, she appeared in front of them in an instant. Jeez, that was quick.

'Usami-chan, Hinata-chan and I want to go on a date right now. Can we?'

Usami seemed like she was about to protest, but Ouma brought out his Ultimate Weapon.

'...Pwetty pwease? We'll behave!' His puppy dog eyes could make anyone do anything for him. So could his actual supreme leader persona, but presumably intimidation was not his tactic this time.  
Usami nodded nervously and accepted the ticket.

'See, Hinata-chan? You can achieve anything if you try!'

Hinata sighed deeply and shook his head. He was amused, sure, but a bit overwhelmed. 'Alright, but only one at a time.'

'Sure! You can take me out tomorrow, after all! Now c'mon, let's go!'

'Where do you even want to go, anyway? I have no say in that, apparently, so tell me.'

  
Ouma brought his index finger up to his chin and looked up, seemingly deep in thought.

  
'Let's go to the amusement park first! That sounds like the most fun one!'

  
_Oh lord_. Hinata wasn't sure if he's in the mood to ride a rollercoaster at 8pm but he felt like protesting wouldn't really change much. Plus, it...actually did seem sort of fun, he had to admit.  
Eh, what the hell.  
'Alright, but I get to choose the next location.'

Ouma's eyes sparkled. It seems he really wasn't sure if Hinata would agree to come until now.

'Yippee! Let's goooooo!' He grabbed Hinata's wrist and took off, leaving Usami behind.

-

The amusement park wasn't exactly unique. It didn't offer anything out of the ordinary, just your typical rollercoasters, snack booths, lots of colours and noises and big bizarre buildings.  
Regardless, Ouma seemed extremely excited, and Hinata couldn't help smiling at that. The smaller boy was basically ready to explode from joy, jumping in place with sparkles in his eyes.  
He was still clinging onto Hinata's wrist, and frankly, it was starting to hurt.

'Um, Ouma?'

'Hmmm?' Ouma looked up at him, smiling the most genuine smile Hinata's ever seen on his face.  
Immediately, he thought...maybe it really was a good idea to come here, for that alone.

'You're kinda hurting my wrist...maybe you'd prefer to hold hands instead?'

'Uwaaaaah, that's gonna make this feel more like a real date! Sure!' Ouma grabbed his hand firmly, and Hinata instantly realised its probably going to get sweaty really soon. Oh well.

'Anyway...this place sure looks fun, huh? There's a lot to see. We should be back before 10pm but I think we can make it if we decide what to check out.'

'It is really fun! C'mon, let's go take a closer look!' Ouma immediately took off again, dragging Hinata along with him. Truth be told, he was starting to get into it, against his better judgement. Perhaps being in a place like this, with someone like Ouma on top of that, successfully awakened his inner child? Admittedly, he also couldn't help finding the other's childlike excitement endearing.

Since they decided to look through the entire park before deciding which right to go for first (getting some drinks and snacks on the way, though – it would be terrible to get dehydrated in the middle of having fun, and Hinata wanted to be prepared), eventually they ended up in front of the huge building with a mouse's face on it – the Nezumi Castle. It was quite the intimidating sight, and neither were sure what its purpose even was to begin with – it was seemingly impossible to enter it.

'Maybe the point is to climb that castle' Hinata remarked sarcastically. Before he knew it, though, Ouma ran towards it to check if it's even possible to do that.  
Of course he would. At this point, that was expected of him. Hinata ran after him, but he knew that trying to prevent the inevitable would be futile.

'Ouma, goddammit, you're going to hurt yourself!' he yelled regardless as Ouma began to climb the outer wall of the castle with a mischievous look on his face. Hinata reached the wall and paused, looking up. Ouma was approximately 8 feet above the ground right now, and making his way up. 10 feet. 15-

And that's when he slipped.

Hinata instinctively sprung forward with his arms stretched out in front of him in an attempt to catch Ouma.

Luckily for both of them, he succeeded. Ouma landed in his arms safely, and since he didn't manage to climb too high, the impact wasn't big enough to make Hinata fall over. He straightened his back and looked at the boy he was now holding in his arms, bridal style.  
Ouma wrapped his arms around his neck and rested his head on his shoulder (now his long messy hair was tickling Hinata's neck and cheek a bit), but he seemed neither scared nor apologetic.

'Did you watch me, Hinata-chan? I managed to get pretty high up before I slipped!'

'I think we should leave the castle alone for now, though...'

Ouma's expression went blank for a moment as he nodded without a word. He was probably scared but didn't want to show it, Hinata assumed. A part of him was worried about the boy's inability to let himself show real emotions sometimes, but then again...everyone is like that sometimes.

'Maybe we should try something less life-threatening...like the carousel.'

Ouma nodded again and closed his eyes softly.  
Hinata's heart melted at the sight.  
He's going to have to carry Ouma around for a while, he guessed. It wasn't a big deal though – Ouma was so scrawny he barely weighed anything, so Hinata didn't mind carrying him that much.  
As long as Ouma doesn't fall asleep in his arms, of course.

Hinata made his way towards the carousel at a regular pace. They still had plenty of time, after all. He didn't have a watch, but it couldn't have taken more than 40 minutes. And Usami would probably come yell at them if they were getting close to curfew, anyway.

Hinata arrived at the carousel and looked over at Ouma, whose eyes were now open again.  
Thank god he didn't fall asleep. That would have been rather awkward. Hinata didn't want to have to wake him up for this.

He set Ouma down on the ground. It seemed like he wasn't dizzy or injured from the fall, thankfully. He smiled and stood up on his toes.

'Waaaah, it's a horse carousel! That's exactly what I needed to see!'

Hinata couldn't help smiling whenever Ouma made a horse joke out of his own last name. There was something endearing about it that kept it from being utterly obnoxious. And he couldn't help wondering if his attachment to horses was just ironic and caused by that, or such a common them that it became unironic along the way.

'C'mon, let's get on already!'

Frankly, Hinata was worried about getting nauseous, but fortunately for him, the carousel was going at a perfect pace. He clung onto the horse figure and let it ride him around.  
In a way, it was relaxing.  
He looked back at Ouma, who still seemed as excited as ever to be here. Hinata decided that he's not going to cut this ride short, even though he was starting to get quite sleepy by then.

He was starting to think that the dates might not be such a bad idea after all, though.  
As long as there's no more climbing tall buildings, that is.  
He believed Ouma wouldn't try that again, though.

Eventually, Ouma got bored, just like he always did – apparently the carousel wasn't fast enough to entertain him for longer, and Hinata was not in the mood to mess with the settings and possibly get in trouble with Usami. No sir-ee. He wasn't reckless enough for that.

Which essentially meant it was time for them to go.

Hinata got off the carousel and made his way towards the bridge, taking one last look back at the amusement park. He had to admit he made some good memories here. He will definitely consider taking other people here, as well.

'Hey, Hinata-chan?'

'Hm?' Hinata was brought back into reality all of a sudden.

'...Thank you for coming with me. I had a lot of fun.' Hinata looked over at Ouma and noticed he was smiling softly. It wasn't mischievous in the slightest, and there was a certain angelic quality to it. 'I'm glad you agreed to it.'

'Don't mention it. It's not a big deal. I had fun too.'

'And thanks for catching me, of course! That would have hurt, I imagine.' He was back to being cheeky but Hinata didn't mind. He could tell there was some sincerity to it. 'Oh, and, I didn't forget you're the one choosing the next date location. Make a good choice and don't bore me! Nishishi~'

Hinata snorted at that. He was pretty sure there was no way for them to get bored when they're together.

'And now,' Ouma continued, reaching his hand out towards Hinata, 'let's go back to our love nest. I mean, the hotel, of course.' Hinata was pretty sure he winked when he said that.

He took his hand and looked towards the bridge.

He was definitely looking forward to the next time.


	2. Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata's first location of choice is the library. Shenanigans ensue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is the chapter when I decided to reveal that Hinata is trans in this story and all the other things I've written. That's just how it is!

Hinata Hajime woke up to the sound of the morning announcement. He wasn't one to sleep in late, even if he was tired – and admittedly, the evening before was quite exhausting, however enjoyable it ended up being.

He remembered that today was his day off so he was in for another date with Ouma. Thank goodness it was his turn to choose. He really couldn't see himself being able to handle anything high-energy for a while.

Yawning, he sat up on his bed and combed through his hair with his fingers. Knowing Ouma, he could show up at any moment and demand to be entertained immediately. Hinata hated to admit that it would have been kind of endearing, which didn't change the fact he'd be better off prepared. He had taken a shower after coming home the evening before (after walking Ouma to his room), so at least he didn't have to worry about that.

He slowly shuffled his feet towards the bathroom, still yawning into his hand. He had to get dressed and brush his teeth, and he might as well do both in one go. Passing by a cupboard, he took a binder and a fresh outfit out of it.

He took his pajama top off and quickly put the binder on before stretching. He glanced at his reflection in the shower room mirror before looking away again and reaching for the new dress shirt. He wasn't very fond of the sight of himself without it on. Just one more insecurity that was always itching somewhere within his subconscious. But he never, ever wanted to burden anyone else with it.

He tied the necktie around his neck and only then looked back at the mirror. He examined his reflection carefully, while styling his hair – not like it mattered, it was always spiky and all over the place, and he could never get his ahoge to disappear. Sigh. He had to say he was quite satisfied with what he saw, though. He rather enjoyed his own eye colour, admittedly. It could be called his defining feature, the one thing that stood out in his face, the rest of which he found rather uninteresting. His tanned complexion was dusted with a variety of freckles, barely visible unless one looked closely enough.

Hinata forced a smile at himself. Good enough.

While he was in the middle of putting on pants, excited knocks on the door could be heard. Of course. Hajime, why did you spend so much time admiring your dumb face instead of making sure Ouma won't catch you like that, you dumbass? he scolded himself in his head before hurriedly finishing his preparations and rushing – barefoot – towards the door.

When he opened it, he saw exactly who he expected. Ouma was smiling up at him innocently with his hands behind his back, trying really hard to appear innocent. Hinata had to admit he wasn't exactly happy about being right - he wished he could have more time to prepare – but regardless of that, Ouma's charm worked on him. Urgh.

'...Why are you here so early?'  
'Huuuuuuh? Hinata-chan, we have a day off today, there's no time to waste!'  
'Ouma, I never agreed to going out with you so early in the morning.'  
'I thought you didn't want to go out late, Hinata-chan.' Ouma blinked repeatedly, putting his index finger up to his chin, opening his mouth slightly. He couldn't fool Hinata into believing he's genuinely confused, but he was still going to try, apparently.  
'That doesn't mean you have to go for the other extreme! I just woke up! I didn't even have breakfast yet!'  
'Wow, jeez.' Ouma turned on his heel and crossed his arms on his chest, with his back facing Hinata. 'Fine, I can just leave, even though I made sure to bring something to eat on the way. Hinata-chan really doesn't know what he wants, tch!'  
'That's not- Ugh' Hinata facepalmed gently. 'Look, just...come in and wait. I need to brush my teeth.'  
Ouma turned back towards him, eyes sparkling. 'Oooooooooh! If Hinata-chan is brushing his teeth, does that mean he's planning to kiss me?'  
'N-no!' Hinata blushed instantly against his will. He may have come off as a bit defensive. 'I just need to brush them for hygiene reasons! Don't make this weird!'  
'Aw, bummer.' Ouma's shoulders drooped, but he came inside regardless. Hinata closed the door behind him, rolling his eyes slightly.

'Wow, Hinata-chan's room is so boring!' Ouma looked around. Right, that was his first time here.  
'What did you expect to find here? Nobody knows my talent so I guess there was nothing to decorate with.'  
'Oh, they didn't need to. Hinata-chan's personality is enough of a decoaration.' Ouma looked at Hinata from the corner of the his eye, with a smile that was on the borderline between genuinely soft and mischievous.

Tch, what's up with him today?

'Don't touch anything and stop distracting me.' He said empathically before entering the bathroom to brush his teeth. He couldn't help noticing the slight pinkish tint on his cheeks upon looking into the mirror. Dammit!

When he returned to the room, Ouma was standing where he left him, hands resting on the back of his head. It didn't seem like he did anything, thankfully. Hinata sighed in relief.

'Alright, I guess it's time to go.'  
'Yaaaaay!' Ouma started jumping in place. 'Today is your choice, huh. Where are we going, Hinata-chan? Don't disappoint me!'  
'I don't care if I do. It's my choice.' Hinata retorted, putting on his shoes.  
'Hinata-chan insists on being mean today, I see!'  
'Don't you think you deserve that for bothering me so early in the morning?' Hinata closed the door behind them and made his way towards the door leading outside the hotel area.  
'Maybe so,' Ouma admitted cheekily, following him at a quick pace, 'but I still want to know where we're going.'  
'You'll know when we get there, won't you?'  
'I guess so.' Ouma pouted and brought his finger up to his lip. Was Hinata-chan not in the mood today? Nah, seems like his typical routine of pretending he doesn't care. Ouma's lips curled up intoa smile at the thought. 'Wherever we're going, I know I will have fun with Hinata-chan!'  
'Sure, sure, whatever.'

Hinata found Usami and handed her the ticket, picking the location discreetly. He wasn't even sure why he was so intent on keeping it a secret from Ouma for now. Maybe there was a spiteful site to him that the smaller boy managed to awaken. As he was thinking about that, he suddenly felt warmth against his hand. He looked down and saw, of course, Ouma, being unusually quiet. Hinata made a mental note to make sure that Ouma won't feel like he's mad at him.

-

Soon enough, they arrived in front of the library.  
'Ehhhhh, really? That's what you choose? I wouldn't think that anyone goes on dates to a library of all places.'  
'Well, we are doing that. Think of that as being unique.'  
'Oooooh. Hinata-chan wants to be a trendsetter. Gotcha!'  
Hinata rolled his eyes in mild amusement before entering the building, dragging Ouma along.

The interior of the library was quite classy but, above all else, it was pretty overwhelming. There was something unsettling about places collecting this many books. Knowledge is a scary and unpredictable thing. It wasn't a conscious, rational fear, moreso it was primal and somewhat superstitious.

Hinata was rather fond of libraries otherwise. There was something inherently comforting about a quiet place where one could relax for free while picking up a random book and letting oneself get lost in its world. Hinata was by no means a bookworm, but it was still an enjoyable passtime. Perhaps that's what brought him here.

That said, this library was pretty useless for him. From what he's seen, the books were all written in languages he couldn't understand at all. The most he could do was admire the illustrations. Now thinking about it, that's something Ouma would probably claim to enjoy.

'Woooooow, this place is huge!' Ouma spun around, looking at the seemingly infinite rows of books around them. 'But, still...what is there to do here?'  
'There's a lot of stuff to do in a library. It's a great place to kill time.'  
'...Like...?' Ouma stared at him intensely, definitely waiting for an answer.  
'Ouma, I know you like to read. I've seen you here before. You don't need to pretend.'  
'Fiiiiiiiine. I mean, most of the books here aren't in Japanese, thought! They're kinda weird, honestly. So, what else?'  
'...Uh.' Hinata began to sweat, and then just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. 'You can study here?'  
Ouma looked at him more judgementally than ever before.  
'You can't be serious, Hinata-chan. I won't allow any studying on this date!'  
'Then...' Shit. 'You can always take a nap here?'  
'Hinata-chan, didn't you just wake up? Are you sleepy already?'  
'N-no!' Hinata looked around the library, looking for inspiration. A weird thought struck him and slipped out before he could stop it. 'All these books in one place...they would burn so well.'  
Ouma looked at him with a mix of curiosity and mischievous intent. Hinata realised his mistake immediately.  
'We're not doing that, though! I'm just thinking out loud!'  
'That's so lame, Hinata-chan! Commit to your idea at least!'  
'Sh-shut up!' Hinata was getting frustrated with himself. It was as if coming here set him up for being the target of Ouma's ridicule. He looked at the smaller boy, who was smiling at him with a mix of affection and condescension. Perhaps...he even had a good time just bickering? That would be quite in character for him, really.

And that's when Hinata got a brilliant idea.

'Hey, Ouma, how about we play tag? There's no librarians around so it's not like anybody is going to stop us from running around.'  
Ouma's eyes lit up. Seems like he hit the jackpot.  
'You really mean it, Hinata-chan? I love playing tag! It's really funny to make other people chase me. Usually it's because of something I said...I'm surprised Hinata-chan has lasted this long without doing that, actually. I'm not sure if I should count it as a failure or not!'  
If Hinata was to answer honestly, he would have to say that from time to time, he was very close to doing that, but he always managed to stop himself because of the itching, unfortunate, embarrassing soft spot he developed for the short clown. There was something innocently charming about him that Hinata couldn't be mad at.

'Anywaaaaay,' Ouma stepped forward and tapped Hinata on the shoulder in the blink of an eye before taking off, 'you're iiiiiiiit! Nishishi~'

Hinata shook his head, smiling softly, and ran after him. Unfortunately for him, Ouma's height helped him take sharper turns easily without running into anything, while Hinata had to make a conscious effort to avoid all the tables and shelves. Goddammit.

Ouma, who was a few meters ahead of him, slowed down slightly, turned towards Hinata and stuck his tongue out before turning back again. Oh, you're stooping to taunts now, huh? How foolish. How very foolish, you little- 

Hinata accelerated, now fully focused on catching Ouma. Suppose he wasn't entirely immune to his taunts after all.

'C'mooooon, Hinata-chan, you slowpoke!' Ouma looked at him over his shoulder, slowing down a bit again.   
And that was his mistake.   
Hinata reached his arm out, leaping forward, and managed to grab Ouma's fluttering checkered scarf. Ouma let out a yelp, brought forward by the momentum before being held up by Hinata like a naughty kitten. He was close enough to being that, frankly.

Ouma struggled a bit before giving up entirely. His feet were about 5 inches above the floor. He looked over at Hinata, only to see a triumphant smile on his face. The hand that wasn't holding him up was resting on Hinata's hip in a confident pose. Jeez, he really took the bait seriously, Ouma thought to himself with a mixture of satisfaction and amusement.

He quite liked being chased. He liked the thrill of it, the fact he could imagine that he's actually going to be punished if he's caught, over some nonexistent crime he committed. It was exciting in a disgustingly embarrassing way. That might be why messing with serious people was so satisfying for him. It was the closest he got to fulfilling that fantasy.

That said, he quite liked being on the other side of it. If the circumstances of their field trip were less peaceful, say, if they were forced to murder each other, he would most likely immediately work towards tracking the mastermind. There was just something incredibly stimulating about that sort of thing for the more twisted side of him.

It was only theory, though. The island was so peaceful it'd be silly to imagine any murders could happen here.

'Hinata-chan, not that I mind being held in this position by you, but I'm starting to get dizzy. Could you set me down, please?' he glanced at Hinata sheepishly.

'Fine, but,' Hinata grinned, releasing him so suddenly that Ouma lost balance for a moment, 'now you're it!' and jogging away from him.

Ouma was overjoyed, seeing that he was going to be the one to chase someone now.   
He was going to cheat, of course.

He ran after Hinata, paying close attention to the trajectory and every subtle motion. He had to time it perfectly to have a chance. And he only had one shot at this. He tensed up and focused.

And then Hinata took a turn left, and that was his mistake.

Ouma leapt forward instantly and tackled him to the ground.

More precisely, he tackled him to a low bookshelf. A few books fell on them but none of it really hurt.

Ouma's arms were wrapped tightly around Hinata's waist as he giggled to himself.  
'I caught you, Hinata-chan!'  
Hinata snortlaughed. Seems like he was caught pretty fast, in the end.  
The two lied on the library floor for a while, laughing together. Ouma refused to let go of Hinata's midriff, cuddled up to him tightly.

Eventually, though, they had to get up and put the books back on the shelves, which was difficult, since they couldn't understand what was written on them at all. In the end, they decided to wing it – it's not like anybody was going to read them, anyway.

'I think that's enough destruction for the day,' Hinata remarked, slightly embarrassed. Ouma chuckled in response and took his hand.

'Let's go back to the love hotel, then! I mean, the hotel.' He winked at Hinata and led him out of the library.

'You know what, Hinata-chan? I didn't really expect to have this much fun in a library. I'm glad we came here.' He said softly when they left and looked up at Hinata with playful gratitude. 'Tomorrow is my choice again, right? Man, that's gonna be sick!'

'Yeah, yeah. I trust you on that.'

'I guess we should actually eat now. I'm sooooooooo hungry from all that running.'

'So am I, honestly. You owe me breakfast for this.'

'Sure thing!' Ouma exclaimed in response.

Hinata was relieved that it ended up actually being fun. Far more exhausting than he imagined, though, admittedly.


	3. Military Base

Another day, another date with Ouma.  
Hinata got used to it, in a way. It was now one of the first things he thought of in the morning, and it made suspicious warmth spread inside his chest to the point where it felt like it was aching.  
He didn't think much of it though.  
It was just a thing to look forward to and dread at the same time, he supposed.

Today's location was Ouma's choice and a part of Hinata was afraid. He was well aware that Ouma would never pick a stressless, relaxing date, there needed to be an element of surprise so he could laugh at Hinata's worried expression. Ugh.

Alternatively, he could make Hinata flustered beyond belief, but that could happen anywhere, without it even being a date. Ouma knew precisely which buttons to push to get a reaction, and Hinata could never predict when he would attack. He could tell if the other boy was sincere at this point – most of the time, at the very least – but he was still in the dark as to his plans, which was, admittedly, midly distressing, but at least it kept him on his toes and thus he avoided boredom.

And, if nothing else...  
...it was better than the mining they were forced to do.

-

Hinata flopped down on his bed, panting heavily. He wasn't as exhausted as he could have been, but he still needed at least a 15-minute break from the world. He closed his eyes and nuzzled against the pillow. He breathed heavily, in and out, in and out, until his heartrate finally dropped significantly. It was going to go back up very soon, considering Ouma could invite himself over at any moment, so he used all the time he could get. The bed was soft and inviting, and soon enough he found himself spacing out – not quite dreaming, though. He wasn't even particularly sleepy.

His consciousness, however, was slowly drifting away.

And that's when the knocking on the door began, of course.

Hinata sighed deeply into the pillow before turning over to lie on his back, the pillow still on his face.

'Hinata-chaaaaan~'

The all-too-familiar voice could be heard from the outside, loud enough to reach Hinata's ears.

'The door's unlocked, come in,' he groaned back, decidedly too tired to get up and open it for anybody at the moment.

'Jeez, Hinata-chan,' Ouma reprimanded, walking in and closing the door behind him, 'that's so unsafe. Somebody could just come in and steal your stuff, you know! Or kill you!'

'Why on earth would anybody do that?' Hinata's muffled voice rang from beneath the pillow, and that's when Ouma finally looked at him, holding back laughter.

'Hinata-chan, why do you have a pillow on your face? Are you trying to suffocate? If so, I could help you with that!' he made a grabby hands motion towards the pillow, which Hinata didn't see anyway.

'No, I just didn't want to see you,' he responded with a pinch of sarcasm.

'How cruel! Hinata-chan needs to stop pretending he's not happy to see me. That's totally not cute!'

Hinata might have rolled his eyes while his cheeks flushed just a bit, but luckily for him, Ouma could only see the unmoving, soft pillow.

'Ouma, I swear to god, please let me rest for a bit. I had a rough day.'

Ouma went quiet for a while, looking at the pillow-head in front of him. He brought his index finger up to his lip and pondered.

'Okay,' he finally said, in a surprisingly soft voice. Since Hinata couldn't see his face at the moment, he let a warm, genuine smile slip onto his face as he looked down affectionately. Eventually, he took a seat at the edge of the bed, still focused on Hinata and trying not to disturb his rest, even making a conscious effort to breathe quietly.

Feeling the slight motion of the bed, Hinata became concerned.  
'Ouma, what are you doing?'  
'Oh, don't worry. I'm just waiting for Hinata-chan to rest and be ready for our date.'  
For once, it really sounded like he meant what he said.

A silence fell upon them, but it wasn't awkward. Hinata breathed evenly and Ouma watched over him, not saying a word. He leaned against the wall slightly, and eventually he ended up curled into a fetal position in the corner of the bed. He wasn't sleepy, but he closed his eyes as well, and waited patiently. In a way, he felt bad for bothering Hinata so soon after they were done working. It was only about 4pm after all. There was plenty of time to go out.

He had to admir lying down next to Hinata was quite comfortable. Even if he was uncomfortably crammed against the wall, he could feel the warmth and safety he could reach out and grab if he wanted.

He promised himself he will, eventually.

Now is not the time, however.

Hinata groaned and sat up on the bed, startling Ouma, who nearly fell off, immediately opening his eyes.

Hinata's hair was even more spiky and messy than usually, if that was even possible.  
'Alright, I'm ready to go,' Hinata proclaimed, stretching his arms and back lazily.

Ouma got off the bed immediately and ran towards the door excitedly, just so Hinata wouldn't ask any question as to how he ended up lying on the bed to begin with. He jumped in place impatiently while Hinata got out of the bed and stretched more, making his shirt ride up, revealing his stomach in an unconscious moment of fanservice.  
Not like Ouma was complaining about that, to be perfectly fair.

'Sorry for being so slow,' Hinata murmured, cracking his knuckles and walking toward the door.  
'I don't mind, Hinata-chan. We've got plenty of time!' Ouma reassured him excitedly, a soft smile lighting up his face again. It was better to get rest before the long journey Ouma had planned anyway.  
The twosome went outside and made their way towards the bridge to contact Usami. Ouma was doing a bizarre haf-jog, hurrying half the time and then waiting for Hinata to catch up, walking in place.

'You do remember today's my choice, right, Hinata-chan?' he asked mischievously.  
'Unfortunately,' Hinata replied curtly.  
'I promise it's going to be fun! Now where's Usami-chan...'

As was typical of her, she appeared out of nowhere the instant her name was called, nervously looking up at the pair.

'Helloooo, Usami-chan~ Would you get us to the...'

-

They arrived at the military base.

Hinata was, to be frank, kind of nervous. There were a lot of weapons and other military equoiment lying around. It wasn't exactly a romantic environment, or a safe one, for that matter. Or a fun one, at least to him. It was just a bunch of grey- and green-coloured machinery that could potentially kill him. He looked over at Ouma nervously.

The smaller boy's eyes sparkled. It was kind of incredible how he could apparently find something to get excited about anywhere. Well, he is kind of an edgy person, Hinata thought. It would make sense that he'd want to come here.

'I have...a bad feeling about this...' Hinata mumbled to himself. Ouma glanced at him judgementally, distracted from his childlike awe.  
'Wow, Hinata-chan. It's not like anyone but us is here, we're not going to get hurt. And I woudn't do anything dangerous!' he exclaimed, puffing out his cheeks.  
'I don't trust that...' Hinata responded hesitantly, sweating a bit. Ouma gasped, faking offense.  
'That's such an awful thing to say!' Fake tears filled his eyes. 'I would neeeeever do anything bad to Hinata-chan!' The tears disappeared as suddenly as they appeared as he grinned widely. 'Not when we still have so many dates left, that is.'

Hinata rolled his eyes. Ouma was having entirely too much fun with that, but he decided that he's going to trust him not to hurt either of them. For now, at least. With all the things to climb, and all the sharp objects around, he couldn't help being nervous.

'Anyway,' Ouma said cheerfully, 'this is the perfect place for me, you know. Since I'm a dictator and all. Military stuff is pretty neat!'

Oh, right. So that's why he was excited. It gave him something to relate back to his talent, however weird a talent it was. Then again, Hinata honestly doubted that he was as influential and powerful as he kept saying he was. It was hard to imagine that such a scrawny childlike guy could lead anything more dangerous than a group of elementary schoolers armed with sticks.

'So, you've got experience with stuff like that?' Hinata asked suspiciously.  
'Of course!' Ouma rested his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. 'I'm a supreme leader, of course I've got something akin to an army!'  
'I don't believe that,' Hinata said flatly. He really didn't.

Ouma pouted and pointed his index finger at him in an accusatory manner.  
'You keep underestimating me, Hinata-chan, and one day that'll bite you in the ass!'  
...Was he for real?  
Hinata resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just nodded agreeably. He wasn't in the mood for another argument about just how real Ouma's power was – for all he knew, it might be. Considering he also knew an actual real princess.  
There was just something about Ouma that made everything he said sound like a calculated pose.

'So, what do you want to do anyway? Look for weapons?'  
Hinata truly had the talent for making the worst conversational choices sometimes.  
'Actually, that's exactly what I had in mind! Incredible, Hinata-chan!'  
'...Wait, really?'  
'Of course! We might find something cool!'  
'I guess now I know why I had a bad feeling...'  
Ouma chuckled at the response and took Hinata's hand.  
'C'mon, Hinata-chan. I promised I won't do anything stupid, but we should explore. Just for the sake of knowing what's in here!'  
That was a good point. They should use the opportunity to explore while they're allowed to be here.  
'Fine...I guess that's fair.'  
'I'd prefer to know if there's something that could nuke us in our sleep here, you know!'  
'I honestly doubt they would do that on a class trip.'  
'Then why is this all here to begin with? Anyway, let's go!'

Ouma, who was still holding Hinata's hand, suddenly took off, dragging the other boy forward until he managed to regain balance.

The two checked inside every vehicle that was parked there – sure enough, there was a suspiciously large amount of suspicious items in the trunks. However, upon closer inspection, they turned out to just be fireworks. Ouma immediately wanted to steal some of them to use later, but Hinata instinctively slapped his hand away. He didn't want to so much as risk Ouma accidentallu setting himself on fire by miscalculating anything with the firework.

Ouma rolled his eyes and went to check the warehouse.  
Fortunately, he didn't find anything too dangerous. Hinata sighed in relief. Seems like they're not getting nuked after all, unless there's something hidden deep where they can't find it, which, at this point, he doubted. The island really was too peaceful for its own good, but he preferred that sometimes.  
'Man, there's nothing here! I'm not sure if that's relieving or just really boring...' Ouma pouted. It seemed like he was relieved as well, though. He may be mischievous, but he didn't really seem to want anyone to get hurt, except maybe himself sometimes. Hinata couldn't help smiling gently at him.  
'I'd say that's a relief, honestly. Now we can stop being paranoid about this place.'  
'True!'  
Hinata looked around in silence until something caught his attention.  
'Hey, Ouma?'  
'Hmm?' the smaller boy looked up at him curiously. They were still holding hands.  
'Have you ever been inside a tank?'  
'Oh.' Ouma followed Hinata's line of sight until he saw the majestic-looking tank to their left. 'I actually haven't. I'm the leader, y'know. I don't do this stuff. Buuuut,' he looked up at Hinata with sparkling eyes, 'I'd really want to!'  
Of course he would. Hinata could mostly predict these things at this point.

'Then let's ride the tank.'  
'Waaaah, really?!' Ouma smiled widely. 'I call dibs on the very top!' he let go of Hinata's hand and ran towards the tank, which he then proceeded to climb. Hinata followed after him, shaking his head slightly. He was ready to catch the boy again if he slipped.

Fortunately, he made it to the top seat with no issues. He spread his arms wide and spun around, giggling to himself.  
'I'm on top of the world, Hinata-chan!'  
'That you are,' Hinata chuckled into his hand at the sight. Adorable. 'Try not to fall off, though,mister dictaror.'  
Ouma stopped spinning and looked down at him, his face lit up by a big smile.  
'Wooooooow, Hinata-chan is so short from here. I'm the taller one now! Nishishi!'  
Hinata rolled his eyes, still smiling back at him.  
'Yeah, you get to be the tall one for now. But you will have to get back down here eventually, you know.'  
'Hmmmmm,' Ouma put his finger up to his chin, pretending to be deep in thought, 'naaah, I'm not coming down. This is too fun.' He turned away from Hinata with his arms behind his head. 'I''m staying here forever, I think.'  
Hinata rolled his eyes and shook his head at that.  
'You'd starve up here, you know.'  
'So?' Ouma narrowed his eyes at Hinata.  
'Oh my god,' Hinata pinched the bridge of his nose, 'I know you're not serious, but don't say that.'  
'...Why not?'  
'Because I don't want you to starve, dumbass! Now come down here.'  
Ouma glanced down at him blankly before turning towards him again.  
'I'd love to, but under one condition.'  
'...Huh? What is it...?'  
'You'll have to catch me.'  
'...Eh?'  
'Climbing up was easy enough, but if I tried to go back down like that, I know I'd slip, and neither of us wants that.'  
'You can go down the normal way, you know.'  
'But where's the fun in that?' Ouma's purple eyes became catlike as he squinted and put his finger up to his lip.  
'Alright, fine, jeez. Just be careful.' Hinata said, spreading out his arms.  
'As careful as I can be~' Ouma promised before leaping forward into Hinata's open arms, tackling him to the ground in the process.

He found Hinata's arms wrapped tightly around his waist as he curled up against his chest. It seemed like neither of them were too hurt by the fall. Ouma sighed in relief.  
'Thank you, Hinata-chan. I guess we should go now?'  
'Ouma...how many times are you planning to make me catch you?'  
Ouma brought his finger up to his chin again.  
'Hmm...I'd say this is the last one. Maybe second to last.'  
'Oh my god.' Hinata sighed deeply. 'Fine, whatever. Let's just go home now.'

Ouma got up from the ground, and reached his hand out to help Hinata up as well. He looked up at him with a vague expression, not letting go of his hand.  
'Hinata-chan?'  
'Hmmm?' Hinata tilted his head.  
'...I'm sorry for being so much trouble sometimes.' Ouma bit his bottom lip.  
'Oh, that.' Hinata smiled down and ruffled his hair with his free hand. 'It's fine. I just worry about you when you do stuff like that.'  
Not only then, he thought to himself.  
He may have been a bit of a worrywart.

With that, holding hands, they headed back to the hotel.


	4. Jabberwock Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a lot. I keep upping the gay ante, I guess  
> Mutual pining level: ultimate

It was yet another tiring day of working on the island, and on top of that, this time Hinata got assigned cleaning duty.  
He didn't hate it, per se, but it wasn't exactly the most exciting thing to do, and admittedly it did make his arms go numb from swinging the broom around, so he was going to complain about it anyway.

Goddammit, he murmured indeed.  
He sighed deeply, rubbing at his wrist gently to bring feeling back into it. He looked at his hand absentmindedly, examining his uneven fingernails and blistered fingertips. His palm was currently reddened and covered in sweat.   
Gross, he thought to himself.  
His hands had a really irriating habit of getting sweaty way too easily, and it was especially bad after a few hours of handling a broom.

Thankfully, today was his turn for choosing the date location.  
And he damn well was going to use it to rest at least a bit.  
Assuming that's even possible with Ouma around, that is.  
Which, to be perfectly honest, he doubted, all things considered. You could probably lock him in an empty room with no tools and nothing to do and he would still find a way to make a mess of it, somehow. It would almost be impressive if Hinata wasn't the one who had to clean it up every single time.

Luckily – or unluckily, depending on how he looked at it – Ouma was on cleaning duty as well, which made picking him up much easier. He could have waited for Ouma to come over, obviously, but he was growing tired of leaving the initative up to him, although he wasn't quite sure why.

'Hey, Ouma?' he called out when he finally regained feeling in his hand. Ouma, who was getting done putting away the vacuum cleaner, looked over at him curiously, pausing mid-step and twisting his torso to face the other boy.  
'What is it, Hinata-chan?' he responded cheerfully, swinging the vacuum head around.  
'...Please, put that away,' Hinata sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'Whatever, nevermind that. Are you ready to go?'  
'Hmmm?' Ouma put his finger up to his chin, looking at the ceiling, still swinging the vacuum head back and forth. 'Go where, exactly?'  
'Oh my god,' Hinata groaned and began to sweat. 'Our date, Ouma. Don't act like you forgot.'  
'Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm,' Ouma glanced over at him. 'Well, I guess I can accept that offer, if you insist, Hinata-chan~'

Hinata was tempted to say so many things at that moment, but ultimately decided it would be futile. He shook his head, resigned.  
'Whatever, just put that away and let's go.'  
'Jeez,Hinata-chan. Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?'  
'I'm not-'  
'Mhmmm, you are! I don't appreciate being ordered around, y'know, since I'm the leader here!' having said that, Ouma winked at him and turned out to finally put the vacuum cleaner away, leaving Hinata in a state of mild confusion and regret. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to take initiative after all. He ran his fingers through his spiky, currently sweaty hair.

Ouma returned empty-handed about a minute later, skipping happily and humming to himself.  
'Okaaaay, Hinata-chan, I can allow you to take me out now~ Where are we going today?' he balanced forward on his heels, looking up at Hinata curiously. Hinata smirked at him.  
'It wouldn't be fun if I told you now. C'mon, let's go,' he added, heading towards the door.  
'Woooooooow, Hinata-chan learned to be assertive! Impressive! Colour me surprised!' Ouma's eyes sparkled as he smiled widely. It seemed entirely too genuine for comfort, actually, the way it often was with this boy.

'Sh-shut up and hurry it,' Hinata mumbled under his breath, opening the door. For a split second, a part of him was extremely tempted to close it right in front of Ouma, who followed him without a word, still humming with a huge smile on his face. Somehow, he managed to resist that urge. However confusing his behaviour could be, it was still largely endearing for a reason he hadn't quite figured out yet.

He had plenty of time for that, though

They made their way towards the bridge, Ouma walking a few steps behind Hinata, who seemed deeply lost in thought. After making futile attempts at offering him bubblegum, the smaller boy decided it would be best not to bother him until they get to wherever they were meant to go today.

Surely, he never expected how short the journey would end up being this time.

-

The pair arrived at the Jabberwock Park, holding hands. Ouma tilted his head with a seemingly disappointed expression, but his aura definitely had a mischievous air for some reason. Hinata felt it through his hand and shuddered slightly, but decided to ignore it for now, instead focusing on the giant statue in front of them.

'That thing is so huuuge!' Ouma exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. 'I was going to mock Hinata-chan for choosing such a booooring location, but that statue is perfect~' Hinata's bad feeling intensified, but he decided to continue ignoring it. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. There were so many trees around that the air was refreshing and clear. It seemed like the perfect place to relax after working his arms to the bone. He could pat himself on the back for that one.

'Hey, Hinata-chan, look!' Ouma exclaimed excitedly, pointing somewhere behind Hinata's back. The instant he began turning around, he felt Ouma's hand slip out of his.  
He turned back around immediately only to see Ouma running towards the statue at an insane speed. Goddammit.  
Of course, he should have figured out where his bad feeling was coming from.  
Of course Ouma was going to try and climb the statue.  
Of fucking course.

Hinata followed him as quickly as he could.   
He was going to try to actually stop him this time.  
He had to try.

'OUMAAAAAA' he yelled out, getting closer to him. Ouma glanced back at him, shuddered, and accelerated. He leapt onto the statue desperately and instantly felt a grip around his heel. He looked back.

'You're not doing this again,' Hinata informed him, panting heavily from the jog just before. 'Didn't you say yesterday was the last time?'  
Ouma pouted and looked up, trying to remembrer what exactly it was that he happened to say.  
'Actually, Hinata-chan, I said it may be the second to last time. I'm in the clear! Besides,' he smirked and narrowed his catlike eyes at Hinata, 'I'm a liar, you know. You shouldn't trust everything I say so easily~ Nishishiiii~'

Hinata rolled his eyes so hard they almost hurt. Ouch. There he goes again with his edgy liar act. Hinata was already aware Ouma was more genuine than he led on, but that didn't mean he was going to give that up if it suited him.

'Ouma, get down. Please,' he said gently yet firmly. Ouma continued looking at him without a word for a while. He seemed to be judging Hinata's current mood in order to choose the appropriate response for the situation.  
How much messing around was allowed?  
'Why should I, Hinata-chan?' he asked in a surprisingly soft tone, almost a whisper, although he was still smirking.

Hinata sighed and looked right into his eyes, making Ouma shudder instinctively.  
'Because I'm asking you to. I don't want to have to catch you again. You're going to hurt yourself like that, do you really not get that?' there was no anger in his voice, Ouma noted, only genuine concern for his wellbeing. If he wasn't clinging onto the side of the statue, he would have put one of his hands up to his heart. He felt like it was going to jump out of his chest at this rate.  
…But what did it all mean?

Ouma looked away briefly. He thought it over. He wasn't worried about getting hurt – he didn't really care that much, and he could more or less land on four paws everytime.  
However...  
He really didn't want to worry Hinata, for reasons he didn't quite understand.  
There were many things he didn't understand yet.

'...Fiiiiiiiine,' he whined at last, 'I'm getting down.'  
Hinata let go of his leg slowly and Ouma, who was just above the ground, could essentially put it down on the ground from there. He landed safely and let go of the statue, looking up at Hinata, who sighed deeply and finally smiled softly at him. Ouma noted that he seemed genuinely relieved. Subconscious, he put his hand up to his chest. Indeed, his heart was pounding against it. He bit his bottom lip briefly.

'Jeez,' Hinata chuckled, 'you really can't just give me a break, huh?' He seemed to be trying to force himself to appear irritated, but it wasn't really working. Unlike Ouma, Hinata was entirely honest and easy to read at all times.  
The thought made Ouma smile a bit.

'Well, Hinata-chan, I would hate to bore you y'know! I think I simply can't give you a break just yet~' he grinned widely and put his arms behind his head. Hinata shook his head, smiling a rather crooked smile. Admittedly, one thing he never was around Ouma was bored. He was always kept on his toes and forced to watch out for everything.

And the weirdest part was that he did not mind.

'I think I actually do need a break now, though. Hey, doesn't that tree look like a great place for a nap?' Hinata pointed towards one of the trees that cast a rather big shadow. It did look inviting.

'Maybe I should climb it ins-' Ouma's remark was interrupted by a prompt knock on the head. 'Oww,' he whined, massaging the hurt spot, 'Hinata-chan's gotten so violeeeeent...I thought you don't want me to get huuuuuurt...' fake tears filled his eyes as he frowned.

'You're NOT climbing any trees,' Hinata couldn't resist chuckling into his hand at the sight. 'I didn't mean to hit you, but to be fair, you kind of deserved it.'  
'Hmph!' Ouma pouted and tried to act offended. 'Hinata-chan is so mean to me!'  
'You say that as if you aren't being mean to me,' Hinata rolled his eyes, still smiling awkwardly.  
'Pfffft,' Ouma couldn't help laughing at last, 'I can't really deny that, I guesssss~ So, are we really going to spend the date napping?'  
'...If you don't mind that? I was kind of tired already and you just managed to make me even more tired just now.'  
'So it's my fault now, hmm?' Ouma poked his chin with his index finger, sticking his bottom lip out. 'If Hinata-chan is this tired, I can't say no~'

Hinata grabbed his hand and led him towards the tree. Upon reaching it, he lied down immediately, curled up on his side, facing the other boy, who sat beside him cross-legged.  
'It's actually softer than I expected,' Hinata murmured with his eyes almost closed. Ouma looked up at the tree.  
'Let's just hope there won't be any birds pooping on Hinata-chan's sleeping body!' he remarked cheerfully. Hinata's eyes shot wide open.  
'Don't say that! Jeez. There are no birds anywhere on this island.'  
'I mean, there could be. Maybe they're just hiding so Hinata-chan can get pooped on when he least expects it. That's what I would do if I were a bird,' Ouma mused, putting on his most innocent face. Hinata looked at him blankly before forcefully closing his eyes for good, eyebrows knit tightly.  
'Leave your conspiracy theories out of my naps, please,' he mumbled.  
'Does Hinata-chan want me to sing him a lullaby?' Ouma tilted his head, looking at him innocently.  
'No,' Hinata responded firmly, 'I'd rather you be quiet, actually.'  
'Bummer!' Ouma remarked, disappointed.  
'Maybe you should try to nap as well. I'd like that the most, actually. I'm out now. See you later.' Hinata said matter-of-factly before going completely quiet.

Ouma watched him in silence.  
Hinata breathed evenly, and his featured softened immediately. No more knit eyebrows, now they were resting calmly above his closed eyes with beautifully curled eyelashes. The light spots seeping through the branches lit up his cheeks, highlighting the freckles that usually were to faint to see most of the time. He exhaled through his pointy, slender nose. His soft lips were curled into a small, calm smile. His messy, spiky hair was sticking in all directions, his ahoge now resting against the grass.  
His hands, curled into fists, were resting against his chest, one right below his head, the other closer to his heart. His knees were bent similarly, his currently shoeless feet tangled together.

Ouma's heart throbbed so loudly and intensely he could feel it in his temples.

He gulped and put his hand up to his chest, and then to his face.  
Sure enough, it was warm, just like he expected.  
He bit his bottom lip and exhaled sharply through his nose.

Well, there was one thing he could do right now, the thing Hinata himself wanted him to do, apparently.  
He could just lie down next to the other boy and try to sleep as well.  
He was actually kind of tired himself, so it was a pretty convenient option for him.  
Assuming he can calm his heart, that is.

He sighed deeply and lied down on his side, facing Hinata, mirroring his position exactly, with about half a foot distance between them.  
Ouma considered getting closer, biting his bottom lip yet again, fiddling with his fingers nervously. It was unlike him to be this unsure, and he knew that very well.  
It sure was an unusual situation.

And then, he just decided to get over it.  
He scooted over towards the other boy's sleeping body until his head was about two inches away from his chest. He could feel the other's chin above him, touching the top of his head, probably being tickled by his wild hair.  
This was fine.  
It really, really was.

Ouma's hands were right next to Hinata's, but he refused to touch them yet. Maybe he would end up touching them in his sleep...? He would certainly not mind that.

He shut his eyes tightly and breathed calmly. A wide smile appeared on his face. His tense body relaxed slowly as he drifted away into the land of dreams.

And then he felt it.  
He could feel that Hinata's body was shifting positions, and his own tiny body froze in anticipation.

An arm was wrapped around his face, bringing him closer towards the other's warm body, as the other hand was unconsciously placed on top of his, their fingers intertwined.  
One of Hinata's legs was now above both of Ouma's, while the other was straightened downwards.  
Now Hinata's hand was right above Ouma's and he could feel his breath on top of his head.

Warmth spread inside Ouma's body as he exhaled deeply, his smile widening. His body relaxed yet again, enjoying the safety and warmth provided by the other boy's embrace.

Frankly, that was exactly what he wanted, and he was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

His consciousness began to drift away yet again, until only the warmth remained.

-

Hinata opened his eyes slowly, and immediately felt tickling.  
Not moving his head, he looked down, and his heart stopped.  
He did say that was the preferred outcome, but he wasn't aware it would end up actually happening, and especially not like this.  
Ouma's tiny body was clinging onto him, with Hinata's own arm wrapped around his thin waist. Their legs were a tangled mess.  
And Ouma's face was right in front of him.

He's never seen it up this close before. He knew Ouma was extremely pale, but his skin looked ghostly like that. His messy hair was all over the place, tickling Hinata's neck and face. He was breathing calmly through his upturned pale nose, with a big smile forming underneath it.  
His eyes were shut tightly with his thin eyebrows resting above them – it was then that Hinata realised that they were unnaturally purple, which made him wonder if Ouma is actually dyeing his eyebrows...  
The last thing he noticed was that his cheeks, dusted in light freckles, were now also slightly reddish, contrasting sharply with his pale complexion.

Something inside Hinata melted at the sight. He didn't have the heart to wake the smaller boy up, so he just decided not to move at all, even if it strained his body. He desperately craved a change of position, since quite a few of his limbs went sore, but his will to let Ouma rest was stronger.

He was also oddly tempted to do other things with the body in front of him, but decided that's something to talk about when it's awake and conscious enough to discuss with.  
He blushed and gulped at the thought.

And that's when Ouma's eyes opened and met his.

They both blinked at each other without a word, neither breaking eye contact.

Ouma smiled softly, and finally spoke.  
'Good morning, Hinata-chan.'  
'It's sunset, Ouma,' Hinata retorted automatically.  
'Is that so? We should look at it!' Ouma responded cheerfully, desperately trying to cover up his actual feelings.  
'Yeah, I kinda need to stretch out my limbs after this nap, so we should probably get up.'  
In a way, Hinata was proud of himself for sounding so casual.

The two managed to disentangle their limbs and get up from the grass without a word. Ouma grabbed Hinata's hand and the two walked towards the bridge to the first island, watching the beautiful sunset, the sky currently painted in shades of purple, orange, and hot pink.

Ouma squeezed Hinata's hand one last time and the two returned to the hotel, not saying anything until they got there.


	5. Movie Theater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How many cliches can one shove into a movie screening? Too many

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh we are almost at the end guys I'm not ready!!  
> Thank you for sticking with this fic for so long!!

Hinata woke up early.  
In fact, it was before about ten minutes Usami's morning announcement.

He ran the back of his hand over his eyes groggily with a small groan, his curled eyelashed tickling his skin. His shirt had ridden u his torso in his sleep and his stomach was currently exposed, rising and flattening as he breathed regularly. His legs were spread underneath the thin bedsheet. Hinata was not the type to toss and turn in his sleep much.

He had no idea what made him wake up so early – perhaps the nap from the evening before had made him need less sleep. That would be a logical explanation, he thought.

And then, as another thought came, Hinata's face flushed.

Thinking about the nap immediately put him through a small emotional rollercoaster. He groaned again and shut his eyes violently, putting his hand over his mouth. He was feeling things he didn't quite understand, and he was definitely not a fan of that.

Ouma may be the prince of lies, but Hinata was surely the king of denial.

He sat up on his bed and stretched his arms, and exactly at that moment, the morning announcement rang through the sleepy island in Usami's entirely too cheerful voice. In theory, it should fill everyone with optimism for the new day ahead of them, but given the circumstances, Hinata was preemptively embarrassed instead, considering he was going to have to face Ouma and be dragged on yet another date, and he suspected precisely where he'd be forced to go today.

He his his face in his hands and shook his head gently.

He enjoyed the nap yesterday more than he wanted to admit. Not just because he was exhausted from a day of cleaning and vacuuming, but because of the other aspect, the one that was so embarrassing to think about in hindsight.

He really enjoyed waking up with Ouma in his arms and seeing his face up close.  
He really didn't want to enjoy it as much as he did, in fact.  
It was way less embarrassing when Ouma was a handful to deal with and Hinata could feign annoyance with him.  
This, on the other hand...was concerning.

The dates on this island were not necessarily supposed to be real dates, indeed, they were more of a way to hang out with people in private and check out all the different places.  
And yet.  
These were entirely too similar to real dates in an odd way.  
Even if half of them were going to include Ouma climbing random objects and Hinata having to save him.

And he knew what was coming today.  
Something that was definitely going to give him more of these conflicting emotions.  
And Ouma would make the most of it for sure.

Hinata finally got out of bed after about twenty minutes of torturing himself with the memories of the nap and went to the bathroom in an attempt to distract himself with washing his face for what felt like eternity.

He and Ouma were both going to have a day off from their duties, but he was definitely putting the date off until later in the day.   
As late as possible, in fact.   
For now, though, he was going to get food.  
No rush.

-

Hinata made his way towards the cafeteria, not running into anyone on his way. It made sense, considering everyone else was going to be on cleaning duty or mining duty already, since he had stalled so much before even leaving his room. He wasn't sure what time it was, but clearly too late to hang out with anybody, which suited him fine.  
Unless...  
He shook his head.  
Nah, the other boy was probably done with his breakfast already, or perhaps even never left his room. Knowing Ouma, he probably had a food hoard under his bed or something.

Hinata slowly went upstairs. He was starting to get hungry, truth be told.

And of course, the instant he entered the cafeteria...

'Good moooorning, Hinata-chan!' a cheerful voice echoed through the empty room as its owner waved at Hinata from his seat by the window.

Hinata sighed deeply and tried not to let his complicated feelings show on his face.

He walked towards Ouma's table. He briefly considered going back to his room or taking a seat on the other side of the cafeteria, but he decided against it. He was too hungry for option one, and there was nothing stopping Ouma from taking a seat over at his table if he went with option two. It was a clear lose-lose situation.  
Or at least he wanted to convince himself it is, even though a part of him had nothing against eating alone with the other boy.

'Hello, sleepyhead! I thought you would never show up, Hinata-chan! I was sooooo worried!' Ouma seemed as chatty as always, Hinata noted. No signs of nervousness, but admittedly, he was pretty good at hiding his feelings when he wanted to be. Hinata decided to watch him carefully while not dropping his own act.

'It's not like I was going to starve myself, dummy,' he retorted, biting into the food in front of him. Perhaps he would be less flustered with a full stomach. Maybe. Hopefully.

Ouma, who seemed to already be done with his, rested his head on his hands, looking at Hinata through his half-closed catlike eyes with a smirk.  
'Well, you never know! People do weird things sometimes, especially in isolation! I'm always worried about Hinata-chan anyway.'

Hinata glanced at him, trying to gauge the sincerety of that statement. It was probably not worth it in the long run, though.

'Yeah, no. I'm fine. I just took a while to get ready,' he responded patiently.  
'Oooh?' Ouma leaned forward in his seat, his smile widening. 'Was there something on your mind, Hinata-chan?'  
Hinata almost bit his tongue. Fucker...! How does he always do that?  
'...No,' he managed to respond eventually, 'just a slow day.' He resisted the urge to ask Ouma what he thinks could be on his mind. He could guess correctly, god forbid. He might bring the nap up anyway, and Hinata was not going to hand the ammo to him so easily.

Ouma leaned back in his seat with a puzzling expression before his mouth twisted into another smile, softer this time.

'I see, Hinata-chan! Well, as long as you're okay for the date later today!' he grinned widely.

'We only have two left, huh?' Hinata sighed. 'I get the feeling that I know where you're going to take me today.'  
'Oh?' Ouma put his arms behind his head and leaned far back in his chair. A part of Hinata hoped he would fall back comically with a muffled scream.  
'We're going to the movies, aren't we? It's pretty obvious that that's what you'd go with.'  
'Hinata-chan truly knows me too well!' Ouma admitted, still leaning back. Hinata watched him carefully. 'I guess sooooo. It's kind of an obligatory date, no? Nishishi~'

Hinata focused all his willpower on not pushing Ouma back and not letting his face flush simultaneously.

'Yeah, whatever. I'll come pick you up at like 5pm or something. See ya,' he said quickly, getting up and making his way towards the staircase. Ouma's purple eyes followed him closely. The small boy subconsciously leaned back to see Hinata's descent downstairs, and before he knew it, he landed on the floor with a satisfying thud.

-

After a long day of just hanging around absentmindedly and napping on and off, Hinata finally reached the magical hour of 5pm.   
He sighed deeply and walked towards Ouma's cabin.   
Just as he was about to knock, the door opened. Hinata froze in place with his arm extended forward.  
Soon enough, Ouma's face greeted him from behind the door. His face twitched slightly before he looked up at Hinata's face with a huge grin.

'Ooooh, Hinata-chan, perfect timing!' he chirped, closing the door behind himself. 'I was just about to leave and hide somewhere to pull a prank on you, but I guess that plan is busted now. Bummer!' he turned towards Hinata, pouting theatrically. 'Oh well, I guess we should get going already, no?'

'Were you really going to leave just because I said I'll pick you up?' Hinata sighed deeply. He knew the answer, and it was not surprising in the slightest, and yet he still needed to ask.

'Oh, of course!' Ouma skipped past him and twirled around on his toes. 'You set yourself up for that, you know~' he chuckled into his hand. Hinata felt something inside him melt immediately. 'Anywaaay, let's gooooo, or the movie will start without us!'

Hinata resisted the urge to point out that the movie starts when they want it to. There would be no point, as it often was with Ouma. He shook his head and followed the smaller boy, who had already taken off.

-  
They arrived at the cinema. Ouma was jumping in place excitedly, sparkles in his eyes.

'Maaaaaan, I missed going to the movies! It's gonna be so much fun!' he seemed genuinely excited for it, and Hinata couldn't help smiling at the sight.

'Anyway, we need to get popcorn first, right? Before we start arguing about the movie,' Hinata remarked thoughtfully.

'Oooooooh, good call! I'm totally getting caramel popcorn, for the record,' Ouma licked his lips and rushed towards the counter. 'Are you going to share with me, or are you getting your own, Hinata-chan?' the boy looked at him over his shoulder, mid-step. Hinata was completely caught off guard.

'I guess I can share with you? I don't need popcorn that badly, honestly,' he shrugged. He wasn't really particularly hungry anyway.

'Okidoki!' Ouma chirped before grabbing his popcorn and ran back towards Hinata. The bag seemed way too big to Hinata, but he decided against commenting on it. They were supposed to share, after all.

'Alright, now that that's done...what kinda movie should we even watch?'  
'I have no idea, Hinata-chan! I'll go along with whatever you want, honestly!'  
'That's not really helping...' Hinata rolled his eyes a little, examining the list of available movies. 'Hey, this seems like a good pick. Some sort of comedy.'  
'That's always a good pick! If it sucks we can always make fun of it, so we'll laugh anyway. Or, if it's boring, we can just make out instead! So it's win-win-win!'  
'Sh-shut up,' Hinata muttered. 'Now we need to pick the seats. Hmmm...'  
'Hmmmmm...' Ouma put his finger up to his chin. 'Well, that's your call, too, Hinata-chan.'  
'Goddammit...I guess,' Hinata tilted his head slightly, 'maybe we could go with the middle? I might fall asleep there, but...'  
'I'm fine with that! Although it is a bit concerning that Hinata-chan falls asleep so often. Are you developing narcolepsy, perhaps?' Ouma asked with a frown.  
'I'm fine...let's just go inside already.'

Hinata felt the other boy's hand grabbing his own and squeezing lightly before dragging him inside.

-

Soon enough, it became apparent that the movie was not exactly the good kind of comedy. Perhaps Hinata could be a considered a picky moviegoer, but when it turned out that Ouma is just as dissatisfied, he had to consider that it was really just that bad.

Ouma pouted and shoved his hand down the popcorn back, stuffing his face full, puffing his cheeks out even more. He didn't take his eyes off the screen, though. He wanted to stay focused, it seems. Hinata sighed deeply and looked back at the screen.

He felt himself spacing out and subconsciously shoved his hand into the popcorn bag.  
At the same time as Ouma, of course.  
He could never catch a break.

Ouma looked over at him, refusing to take his hand out of the bag. Not breaking eye contact, he grabbed a handful, shoved it in his face, and began giggling.  
'Maaan, Hinata-chan is a walking cliche, pffffff.'  
Hinata rolled his eyes and grabbed himself a handful in silence, looking back at the screen again.

Ouma continued chuckling for a bit, covering his mouth with his hand.  
'You know, Hinata-chan, making out is still an option, if you want to be even more cliche!'  
'Sh-shut up, dammit,' Hinata was glad that the room was dark enough to not make his blush obvious to the other boy.

Ouma straightened his back in his seat and stretched his arms above his head, moaning quietly.  
Hinata wasn't paying attention to that, until he felt a hand on his back, making him shudder immediately.  
He looked over at Ouma, who was looking down innocently with a crooked smile on his face.

'I can be a cliche in return, I guess,' he explained quietly before looking up at Hinata, straight into his eyes. Hinata felt a strange aura from the eyes, big and purple, blinking slowly, focused entirely on his own pale olive ones. He could swear that Ouma's face was getting gradually closer to his, until it was just a few inches away.

Ouma tilted his head a bit, with a soft smile on his face, and froze in place with his arm still around Hinata's shoulder. There was definitely a silent question being asked here, but at the time, Hinata had no answer for him.

'Or we could just do something for the hell of it, you know. While we're still here. We only get one chance, you know!' Ouma chirped. His voice cracked noticeably as he spoke.

Hinata's expression softened.  
He leaned forward just the tiniest bit and nuzzled his cheek against Ouma's. He rested his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, hesitant to bring him closer. Ouma couldn't move much because of his popcorn, but he wrapped his other arm around Hinata's shoulder, desperately yet shyly clinging onto him.

Perhaps, he thought in a flash, all the movies in here are terrible just so the people who come here can focus on each other instead. That would make sense, actually. He wouldn't put it past the people who organised the field trip to use such underhanded techniques. Perhaps some creep is watching them right now and having a good time.

He closed his eyes and melted into the warmth of the boy in front of him in silence, paying no attention to the movie playing in front of them, or to the rest of the world.  
He never realised how much he needed something like that, even if it was just going to last for a little while until the movie ends, and they will probably not talk about it again.

Hinata's face was tickled gently by Ouma's messy hair, as per usual. He didn't mind, not really. A part of him really wanted to touch that hair, in fact.  
Actually, wasn't this a really good opportunity?  
Hinata reached out his hand towards a lock of Ouma's hair and touched it with his fingertips. He began playing with it idly. It really was a pleasant sensation.

Suddenly, he felt a soft touch against his cheek, so soft he wasn't sure if he felt it at all.  
And then, immediately, the movie ended, and the room was lit up.  
Both of the boys squinted and rubbed at their eyes, immediately disentangling their bodies from each other.

Hinata got up from his seat quickly.  
Ouma looked at him, tilting his head. Everyday, he reminded Hinata of a variety of small animals more and more.

Soon, they were both standing up in silence, Ouma still holding the bag in his hands, fiddling with it nervously.

'So,' Hinata began, walking towards the exit slowly, 'tomorrow is the last time.'  
Ouma nodded, following him.  
'I guess I'll say it again tomorrow, but...this has been a lot of fun. Thank you for dragging me out on these dates,' he smiled softly and grabbed Ouma's hand.  
The smaller boy grinned widely.  
'Of course it was going to be fun! If it was boring I would have left immediately!' he giggled happily and went outside, dragging Hinata behind him.

The pair walked back to the hotel in silence, their hands burning with unspoken embarrassment.


	6. Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's only the beach chapter in name, since quite a lot happens outside of it...

It was already afternoon, and Hinata Hajime was getting progressively more nervous as time went by. He wasn't quite sure why, precisely, but he felt repetitive stinging pain in his stomach, which he was covering with his hands and attempting to massage, to no avail.

Hinata Hajime was nervous about a date, of course, but he wasn't sure why it was this intense, this unbearable. Was it because it was the last date? That would make sense, he guessed, but it was just a silly fake date, just like the other ones, wasn't it?

It's not like anything important is going to happen, right?

It's not like this last date has any significance whatsoever in the grand scheme of things, is it?

Hinata groaned and continued massaging his stomach. Something resembling nausea welled up inside him, sending him into slightly worse panic. He did not enjoy the idea of ruining this last date by being sick. He punched himself in the gut and straightened his back, still grimacing, and looked around.

He was standing by the bridge to the central island, near the entrance to the beach, waiting for Ouma to appear.

Truth be told, he had not seen Ouma all day, so it's not like he could confirm that they would be meeting again. Something inside him ached with the fear that perhaps he was being avoided on purpose. He wouldn't be surprised, considering what happened between them the day before.

Remembering that, he groaned again.

Perhaps...that's what was making him so nervous all along. Seems like he hit the bullseye here. Great.

Maybe...maybe he was the one who was trying to avoid Ouma?

Hinata bit his bottom lip and looked towards the horizon. It was all too familiar. The sunset would come in about an hour. The same sunset that started this entire ordeal. The sight of the afternoon sky soothed him in a way, and he smiled subconsciously. It's been an absolutely wild ride, and he had to admit he was grateful for it.

And now, it was going to end.

...Unless, of course, Ouma refuses to show up. Which he very well could, actually. Ouma was easily bored and unpredictable sometimes, so Hinata wouldn't put it past him to just change his mind.  
Especially after the incident.

Or, perhaps...Perhaps he was waiting for Hinata to pick him up?

Hinata almost slapped himself on the forehead.

Of course, dumbass! Go pick him up!

He hated to admit that maybe he was afraid of doing anything on his own. Maybe he just wanted to see how things would go without actively engaging in them.  
And that could indeed be called avoidance.

Hinata promptly turned around, ready to sprint towards the motel, when he had to stop pretty much immediately to avoid a collision.

He was so close to avoiding it, too, but unfortunately – he ended up running into Ouma instead, luckily not making either of them fall over, since the small boy instinctively reached his hands out forward. Hinata regained balance and looked at the smiling face in front of him. It somehow looked both mischievous and sheepish at the same time.

'Why the hell are you sneaking up on me?!' Hinata blurted out, jumping back a bit. Ouma chuckled and tilted his head.

'I found Usami-chan and brought her over!' he explained proudly, and upon looking behind him, Hinata confirmed that their self-proclaimed teacher was following behind Ouma, with an incredibly stressed expression on her face. To be fair, Hinata thought, that's what being around Ouma does to you.

'Okay, whatever, but what were you so quiet for? Were you trying to prank me again or something?' Hinata resisted the urge to groan at the thought. Ouma was truly a handful.

'Hmmm...' Ouma put his finger up to his chin, 'not this time, no! Hinata-chan just seemed deep in thought and I didn't want to disturb him!' he chirped innocently. Hinata raised his eyebrow.

'Did I now?' he asked a bit suspiciously but mostly just out of curiousity. He didn't think he was that deep in thought – just looking at the sky. Ouma nodded and jumped in place.

'Mhm! Maybe it was just Hinata-chan spacing out, but still! Anyway, let's get down to business,' he reached his hand out towards Hinata and continued in a demanding tone, 'gimme the ticket and let's go! Unless you want to give it to her yourself, I guess' he added after a moment of consideration.

Hinata sighed deeply and handed him the ticket.  
Ouma snatched it out of his hands, quickly gave it to Usami, and sprinted towards the beach.  
Hinata blinked and it took him a moment to process what had just happened. He and Usami looked at each other in confusion, tilting their heads, and then the both of them looked towards the beach, cartoonishly synchronized. Ouma's silhouette was fading from sight as cascades of sand sprung up from under his feet.

Hinata shook his head and followed the smaller boy, laughing against his better judgement, ready for a rather long jog.

-

Hinata ended up completely exhausted, bent in half and panting, while Ouma watched him with a smile on his face, hands on hips.

'My, my, Hinata-chan is so out of shape!' he exclaimed cheerfully, gently placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder. He was mildly impressed by Hinata's speed just then, but definitely not by his (nonexistent) ability to hide his exhaustion, so unlike Ouma's. Sweat beads formed on the smaller boy's temples, but he kept grinning and gently patting the other's shoulder.

'Why...do you always do this...' Hinata panted, no trace of frustration in his voice, just honest-to-god exhaustion and a hint of disbelief over Ouma's good shape.

'Hinata-chan seemed like he needed some exercise!' the small boy chirped, looking at the other from beneath his eyelashes. Even sweaty and tired, Hinata was still undoubtedly attractive, and Ouma took great joy in making him work. Admittedly, one of his goals was taking their minds off any stress they might have been feeling.

And Ouma sure had his own, even though he was much better at hiding it than Hinata was. Whenever his mind decided to refresh the memory of last evening, in full HD at it, Ouma felt the urge to flinch and whine softly. It was embarrassing, and he had no idea how he'd handle it if it came up in a conversation. But he knew for a fact that he wouldn't – Hinata didn't seem to want to relive that experience either, he noted.

Ouma smiled softly.  
They both SHOULD speak about it, he realised.  
About that and many other things.  
But, he also realised, they won't, unless a miracle happens.

Sometimes, you need to work your own miracle, apparently.

-

'So, what are we going to do, Hinata-chan? Better make it count! It's the last one, after all!' he shuddered slightly at his own words. He did not want this to end. Desperately. He leaned forward to try and see the expression of the other boy, currently sitting beside him at the beach. The sun was slowly getting ready to set, but there was still time until it was done.

'You already made me run against my own will, but thanks for finally giving me a choice,' Hinata rolled his eyes and thought about it for real. Frankly, he was fine just sitting and watching the sunset at this point. He knew it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, and he felt vaguely bad about it, but he was content just having Ouma next to him.

...Which, he realised, revealed a lot more than he wanted to.

He shook his head slightly and covered Ouma's hand with his. There was nothing to lose at this point, so, what the hell. He looked down at his, currently bare, feet, and got an idea. He reached down with his other hand and grabbed something small, examining it in the dim sunlight.

'We could look for seashells. We can make something out of them later,' he said semi-excitedly. Ouma grinned and looked around himself. Eventually, he picked up his own seashell and squinted at it, smiling softly, before looking back at Hinata.

'This one has the same colour as Hinata-chan's eyes!' he exclaimed proudly and chuckled upon seeing the other's embarrassed face. It was so easy to fluster him sometimes.

Ouma absolutely loved that.

The two of them moved around the beach barefoot looking for more shells while the sun began to set. Hinata took breaks constantly, looking at the constantly changing colours. He was fond of the sky. The night sky was overwhelming but beautiful – it drove home how small he and everyone else was in the grand scheme of things, and the sunsets were always simply breathtaking. It's incredible how beautiful a picture nature itself can paint.  
He noticed Ouma would sometimes look up at the sky as well. Perhaps...perhaps they should go stargazing. Maybe even later today, to take advantage of it being the last date.

Hinata felt mild stinging in his chest, but he decided to pay it no mind.

He had a handful of seashells already, and he realised there was nothing to carry them in, assuming he was really going to make something out of them. Perhaps it would be a good idea to just look at them for a while and leave them at the beach.

The two of them sat back on the previous spot and compared their findings. Ouma found more than Hinata, probably because he was less distracted by the setting sun. The pair decided to leave the seashells there, and perhaps come back for them later if they want to. It's not like anybody would take them away, they weren't valuable enough.

Hinata found himself staring at the horizon longingly yet again. Ouma looked over at him and followed his line of sight. The sky was painted in shades of purple and orange, reflected in the calm surface of the sea as well. It really looked like a beautiful painting.

'Hinata-chan likes sunsets, huh?' he asked softly, with no ulterior motive. The other boy nodded slowly, not tearing his gaze away even for a moment.

'It's going to go dark soon...' Ouma mused, 'but it's really pretty now.' He looked up at the sky above him. It was a soft, comforting shade of purple as well. Even someone as immature as him could appreciate the wonders of the world. 'Do you think we should do something before it goes dark?' he tilted his head curiously, glancing over at Hinata.

'Mhmm...' Hinata nodded again, 'I guess if it wasn't so late we could go swimming, maybe...' he mused absentmindedly. He wasn't fond of swimming in the slightest because it came with having to reveal his chest to others, and he was not really excited for that. But on the other hand, something in him oddly trusted the weird small boy. 'Or build a sandcastle, maybe? The sand down there seems perfect for that.'

'Ooooooh!' Ouma perked up. He quickly got up and started walking towards the sea. He wasn't going to go swimming, but at least he could get closer to the water, and to the beautiful sunset, and perhaps start building the sandcastle anyway. Every supreme leader would want one, of course! He smiled back at Hinata excitedly, encouraging him to join.

Except fate had a different idea, apparently, since it put something right under his foot. He had no way of knowing whether it was a stick, a shell, or anything else, all he knew was that he was definitely tripping forward right at the moment. He didn't even have the time to flail his arms.

And so, he fell, face first, and immediately wetness spread all over his chest.

Great.

He stretched his arms downwards to propel himself up and breathed in deeply before he was picked up from behind by Hinata (prompting a small coughing fit), who then proceeded to set him down on his feet, hands resting on both o his shoulders, looking him over to see if he was injured anywhere. He sighed in relief, indicating that nothing serious happened, at least as far as he could tell.

'Are you hurt?' Hinata looked up at him and Ouma shook his head. 'You're soaked...you scared me!' Ouma sniffled apologetically and avoided eye contact. 'Jeez...just...watch your step next time, okay?' Hinata got up from his knees and ruffled the other boy's damp hair, his features softening. 'We need to get you a change of clothes as soon as possible,' he looked him over once again, 'or at least your shirt, I guess, your pants are fine. You might still catch a cold, though.'

Ouma tilted his head and sniffled once again. It seemed like he was quite cold already. Hinata grabbed his hand gently.

'Hinata-chan...' Ouma mumbled nasally, 'are you going with me to my room?'

'I...yeah. I need to make sure you change your shirt, after all,' he responded matter-of-factly, avoiding eye contact, 'knowing you, you don't care if you catch a cold so you might go to bed in it out of spite. But I care. So we're going.'

Ouma smiled the softest smile that'd ever appeared on his face, and Hinata didn't even get to see it.

Oh, well.

-

Ouma was seated firmly on his own bed and forced to watch Hinata run around his cottage to get a towel – for drying his hair, and a replacement shirt. He couldn't help but be impressed by how caring the other boy was, making sure he doesn't get ill. It was convenient, considering he was right about Ouma not caring much at all. To him, getting sick would be kind of funny, in fact, if a bit annoying.

He sniffled slightly as Hinata approached him with a towel and began drying his messy, long hair, to the background noise of weak whines of protest coming from the small boy. It wasn't that wet, to be fair, mostly just damp in the front, but Hinata dried it thoroughly anyway, fluffing it up horribly in the process. It somehow became even messier than it normally was, sticking out in all directions, his fringe all over the place. Hinata covered his mouth and chuckled slighty. It was both hilarious and absolutely adorable at the same time.

'Okay, take off your shirt now,' Hinata ordered firmly, 'we need to get you out of it as soon as possible. Actually,' he knit his eyebrows in confusion, 'how do you even take it off, anyway? It's not like the buttons do anything, right?'

'My, Hinata-chan, you really want to see me shirtless, huh?' Ouma teased, taking off his checkered scarf.

'That's...! That's not it!' Hinata immediately flushed a deep shade of red, contrasting with his tanned skin.

'Sure it isn't!' Ouma giggled and tilted his head. 'Okay, actually the way I take off my shirt is a secret, so I can't let you see! Actually,' he looked away, 'you really shouldn't see me without it, either.' He almost sounded sad just then, and Hinata's heart skipped a beat. 'But, honestly, I don't mind you seeing me shirtless, Hinata-chan. Just look away now.' He looked Hinata dead in the eyes with a blank expression, indicating that he's serious. Hinata obediently closed his eyes and felt some sort of fabric being wrapped around his head.

'Wh-?' Hinata yelped instinctively.

'Better safe than sorry, Hinata-chan. It's just my scarf,' Ouma explained calmly before going quiet for a while. All Hinata could hear now was the rustling of fabric. Admittedly, he was curious, but he kept his eyes closed with the scarf over them for what felt like a few hours, or perhaps even eternity, with the only sound being some rustling .

Hinata heard a small sigh and could feel an aura of hesitation from the other boy before his eyes were finally freed from the soft, slightly damp fabric. He slowly opened his eyes, immediately met with the sight of the other boy standing shirtless in front of him, smiling a gentle yet crooked smile with a hint of a blush on his sickly pale cheeks, and his catlike eyes semi-closed, watching him curiously from behind his dark eyelashes.

Hinata's first, automatic, subconscious and uncontrollable reaction to the sight in front of him was a blush. Goddammit. Ouma must have noticed it because now he was grinning.

Ouma was really thin. His stomach was barely sticking out as he breathed in and out, and Hinata could probably count his ribs if he wanted (and he might actually want to later), but what really caught one's attention were the scars running across his chest, also sticking out slightly in sync with his breathing. Hinata didn't want to stare, really, he knew how much he would hate to be stared at like that, but his mouth worked without consulting his better judgement, and blurted out the single most revealing phrase he could have uttered.

'You too...?' he asked before stopping himself and looking into Ouma's eyes, now wide open, expressing entirely too many feelings at once. He wasn't grinning anymore, his smile now back to being small and awkward.

'Hinata-chan, too?' he inquired, even though he already knew the answer. 'I knew it! It was a risk to take, but I knew I have to be right!' Ouma bounced back on his feet and sat down on his bed. His legs were shaking noticeably. Thank god he didn't fall over, Hinata thought.

There was silent mutual understanding between them as they kept looking into each other's eyes, Hinata's attentive and nervous, Ouma's relaxed and curious once again.

'Hey, Hinata-chan, can I tell you something? I won't get another chance to, since this is still our last date!'

'Shoot,' Hinata responded quickly, trying to cover up his nervousness (to no avail).

'Ah, Hinata-chan,' Ouma tilted his head and leaned forward, not breaking eye contact even for a moment, 'I think I love you.'

Hinata began blinking rapidly, trying to process the information. His face went pale before beginning to burn with a fierce blush. He felt like his brain stopped working. He wasn't thinking anything, but he sure was feeling a lot, seemingly everything at once, in fact. And all the experiences culminated in a quite underwhelming climax.

'...Huh??' he blurted out, indeed, in the direction of the other boy, who was looking at him with a mix of amusement and adoration, on the edge of bursting out laughing at any moment.

'Pffff, Hinata-chan, I didn't mean to break you like that! Nishishi~' he brought his finger up to his mouth, still not taking his eyes off Hinata. 'Don't pretend you didn't see this coming!'

Hinata shook his head and pinched his arm. He felt it. So he was not dreaming. He slapped himself on the face in an attempt to bring himself back to reality. He inhaled deeply with his eyes closed before looking back at the other boy, slowly calming down until finally he was able to speak.

'I, uh...' he started, 'I guess I did. Maybe.' He coughed into his fist and went quiet.

'Soooo,' Ouma leaned even more forward towards him, his eyes sparkling, 'what do you say, Hinata-chaaaan?'

Hinata groaned, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. Finally, he looked Ouma straight in the eyes and leaned slightly forward as well, gulping.

'I love you too,' he blurted out, and made a conscious effort to not avoid eye contact. Ouma grinned and sprung up, reaching his arms out, embracing Hinata's shoulders, pulling him into an enthusiastic hug. Hinata instinctively wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist. Suddenly, he felt himself falling forward.

'Sit next to me, Hinata-chan!' he heard as Ouma pulled him down onto the bed, still tightening the hug. His head was resting on Hinata's shoulder, his fluffy hair tickling the other's neck and jaw.

After a few minutes, Ouma let go of him, deciding to look him in the eyes again. This time, his purple, cat-like eyes were full of genuine affection. Hinata kept his arms wrapped around the other's thin, fragile waist.

Ouma ran his finger across Hinata's face, from his forehead down to his lips, where he kept it for a while before suddenly leaning forward and planting a kiss right there. A shiver ran down Hinata's spine and he closed his eyes, instinctively leaning into the kiss. He felt Ouma's hands gently cupping his cheeks, helping deepen the kiss further. It felt like eternity while it lasted, but the instant it was over, it felt like barely a second had passed. Ouma let go of his lips and poked them with his slender index finger instead.

'My, Hinata-chan may be a really good kisser! If he stops being shy, that is!' he teased affectionately, tilting his head slightly. He hoped Hinata would take it as a challenge.

Indeed, he did.

Ouma found himself gently pinned against the bed, with Hinata's hands resting on his shoulders, and his mouth firmly pressed against his, narrowly avoiding bumping their noses together. Ouma wrapped his arms against Hinata's neck and melted into the kiss, closing his eyes and wrapping his legs around Hinata's waist.

The kiss ended when the taller boy decided he needs to catch a breath. Their eyes met once again as he panted heavily. Ouma's legs wrapped around him tightly as he smiled mischievously.

'Does Hinata-chan want to go shirtless too?' he asked genuinely.

'I mean...my chest...'

'I'm the same, Hinata-chan. Keep the binder on, and I won't touch you there, I promise!' he assured him honestly. Hinata considered it and finally nodded.

Ouma reached towards his neck and began untying his tie, the tie that matched his eyes so perfectly and made his otherwise plain outfit stand out. He threw it aside and began unbuttoning the shirt, slowly but surely, revealing the binder that was hiding the secret they both shared. He threw the shirt aside as well.

'Hey, Hinata-chan?' he prompted innocently. Hinata hummed curiously in response. 'You're really handsome both with and without your shirt!' he exclaimed, and Hinata groaned softly in response.

'Oh, by the way! It's fine to touch mine! That's why I got it fixed, after all!' he grabbed Hinata's hand and gently placed it on his own chest. Hinata blushed a deep shade of red, but didn't take it away even when Ouma moved both of his hands towards the back of his neck, bringing Hinata's upper body closer towards his. He wrapped his arms around Hinata's shoulders and leaned forward to kiss his lips again, this time settling for a series of small ones rather than a single long one.

'Hey, Ouma,' Hinata mumbled against his lips, prompting the smaller boy to pause, 'do you think...we could go on real dates now?' Ouma chuckled.

'It would be kind of backwards not to, right? I'd hate to be forced to not hang out with you now that I've confessed, y'know!' he pulled away and looked at Hinata affectionately. 'This was a really good idea, honestly! I love Hinata-chan!'

'Sigh...I love you too. Thanks for forcing me to take you on dates and catch you so many times,' Hinata snarked at him, 'practising carrying you bridal style, I guess.'

'Pffft,' Ouma snorted, 'everything I did was useful, wasn't it? Oh, by the way,' Ouma leaned towards Hinata's ear and whispered theatrically into it, 'you can stay in my bed tonight, Hinata-chan.'

Hinata tried not to make a sound, but his entire face flushed, including the ear Ouma was whispering into – prompting him to plant kisses behind and around it.

-

The two of them were lying in Ouma's bed, cuddled up, with Ouma's head resting on Hinata's chest, hands curled up on his stomach, while the other's arm was wrapped around his waist. Their legs were an unholy tangled mess. They were close to falling asleep, but still looking out the window into the night sky, lazily stargazing for the first time. Perhaps at a later date, they would go outside to do it, but tonight was not the night.

Ouma's eyes closed on their own and he sighed deeply against Hinata's chest, moving along with the rhythm of his regular breathing. He was definitely falling asleep now, in his fresh boyfriend's arms, the state he longed for, desired to be in for so long now.

They were definitely going to go on proper dates now, too.

But that's a story for another time.

Let's let them rest for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a ride! Thanks to everyone who enjoyed this fic! I'm sad to see it end but proud that I managed to finish it, frankly...


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